Sharp and erosion resistance degradable material for slip buttons and sliding sleeve baffles

Abstract

A sharp and erosion resistant degradable material used in a component in a downhole tool and a method of using said degradable material. More particularly, the sharp and erosion resistant degradable material includes dissolvable metal matrix composite which includes a dissolvable metal and a dispersed reinforcement material wherein the dissolvable metal is capable of dissolving via galvanic corrosion. The dissolvable metal may include at least one of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, zinc alloy, bismuth alloy, tin alloy, or any combination thereof. The dispersed reinforcement material may include a ceramic or a hardened metal. The ceramic may include at least one of: zirconia (including zircon), alumina (including fused alumina, chrome-alumina, and emery), carbide (including tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, titanium carbide, and boron carbide), boride (including boron nitride, osmium diboride, rhenium boride, titanium boride, and tungsten boride), nitride (silicon nitride and aluminum nitride), synthetic diamond, silica, and any combination thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A component for a downhole tool comprising:
 a dissolvable metal matrix composite, wherein the dissolvable metal matrix composite comprises:
 a dissolvable metal that is configured to partially or wholly dissolve when in contact with the electrolyte; and 
 a dispersed reinforcement material that is at least one of: a ceramic or a hardened metal. 
   
     
     
         2 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the component is at least one of mandrel, a sealing ball, a slip, a slip button, a baffle seat, or a shear pin. 
     
     
         3 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the downhole tool comprises a wellbore isolation device that is selected from the group consisting of a frac plug, a wellbore packer, a deployable baffle, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the dissolvable metal comprises at least one of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, zinc alloy, bismuth alloy, tin alloy, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The component according to  claim 4 , wherein the dissolvable metal further comprises the aluminum alloy that is alloyed with indium or gallium wherein the indium or gallium acts as a depassivating agent and prevents formation of a protective passivation layer on a surface of the aluminum alloy. 
     
     
         6 . The component according to  claim 5 , wherein the aluminum and the gallium is alloyed together in a ratio that comprises at least one of the following: 80% Al-20% Ga, 80% Al-10% Ga-10% In, 75% Al-5% Ga-5% Zn-5% Bi-5% Sn-5% Mg, 90% Al-2.5% Ga-2.5% Zn-2.5% Bi-2.5% Sn, 99.8% Al-0.1% In-0.1% Ga. 
     
     
         7 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the dissolvable metal further comprises at least one of the following: the magnesium alloy that is alloyed with zinc, aluminum, zirconium, yttrium, copper, nickel, or with iron. 
     
     
         8 . The component according to  claim 7  further comprises at least one of the following ratio:
 about 4% to 7% zinc, about 0% to 1% zirconium, and balance magnesium, or 7% to 10% aluminum, 0% to 1% zinc, 0% to 1% manganese, and balance magnesium, or 2% to 5% aluminum, 0% to 2% zinc, 0% to 1% manganese, and balance magnesium. 
 
     
     
         9 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic comprises at least one of: zirconia (including zircon), alumina (including fused alumina, chrome-alumina, and emery), carbide (including tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, titanium carbide, and boron carbide), boride (including boron nitride, osmium diboride, rhenium boride, titanium boride, and tungsten boride), nitride (silicon nitride and aluminum nitride), synthetic diamond, silica, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The component according to  claim 9 , wherein the ceramic comprises an oxide or a non-oxide. 
     
     
         11 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the hardened metal comprises at least one of: medium or high carbon steel with a carbon content in excess of 0.25%, a maraging steel, stainless steel, Inconel, tool steel, titanium, nickel, tungsten, chromium, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the dissolvable metal is alloyed with at least one of copper, nickel, iron, or any combination thereof, which in turn creates inclusions that have a galvanic potential that accelerates dissolution of the dissolvable metal. 
     
     
         13 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the ceramic is replaced with a cathodic component which in turn creates a galvanic potential with the dissolvable metal. 
     
     
         14 . The component according to  claim 13 , wherein the cathodic component comprises at least one of a nugget, a spheroid, a silver, a fiber, a weave, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . A method of removing a component for a wellbore isolation device comprising:
 contacting or allowing the component to come in contact with an electrolyte, the component consists essentially of:
 a dissolvable metal and a dispersed reinforcement material, the dissolvable metal:
 (A) is a metal or a metal alloy, 
 (B) forms a matrix of a portion of the wellbore isolation device, and 
 (C) partially or wholly dissolves when an electronically conductive path exists between the dissolvable metal and the dispersed reinforcement material and at least a portion of the dissolvable metal is in contact with electrolyte, 
 
 and the dispersed reinforcement material comprises at least one of:
 (D) a ceramic, or 
 (E) a hardened metal. 
 
   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the wellbore isolation device is a ball and a seat, a plug, a bridge plug, a wiper plug, a packer, or a plug for a base pipe. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the wellbore isolation device is capable of restricting or preventing fluid flow between a first wellbore interval and a second wellbore interval. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 15 , further comprising the step of placing the wellbore isolation device into a portion of the wellbore, wherein the step of placing is performed prior to the step of contacting or allowing the wellbore isolation device to come in contact with the electrolyte. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 15 , further comprising the step of removing all or a portion of the dissolved dissolvable metal, wherein the step of removing is performed after the step of allowing at least the portion of the dissolvable metal to dissolve. 
     
     
         20 . A method of removing a component for a downhole tool comprising
 introducing the downhole tool into a wellbore, the downhole tool comprising a wellbore isolation device that provides a plurality of components including a mandrel, a packer element, and a sealing ball, the mandrel defines a central flow passage that allows fluid flow in at least one direction through the wellbore isolation device, at least a portion of the plurality of components comprises a dissolvable metal matrix component and the dissolvable metal matrix component comprises a dissolvable metal, and dispersed reinforcement material;   anchoring the downhole tool within the wellbore at a target location;   performing at least one downhole operation; and   dissolving the dissolvable metal upon exposure to an electrolyte in a wellbore environment.